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So before I got my dreads (which are now three wks to month old) I stripped my hair color. Because I colored my hair back then when I stripped the color it turned like this orange-ish red color. And I want to color the rest of my hair that color. But I don't know if it's okay to do so, or how to go about doing it.

Just counted my nine month old dreads, and came up with a count of either 31 or 32.. Last time i counted them was probably at 5/6 months and there were 23! I didn't even really notice the new ones sneaking their way in, lol. Lots of loose hair popping up though so the count will surely grow with time. I have some fatties in the back that are probably going to be heavy later on, these are some of the other ones i let dread naturally mainly because i was too lazy to section the back of my hair while twist and ripping.. I twist and ripped maybe ten of them as an experiment and let the rest go on thier own. I've been lazy on seperating lately, but finally got around to it today. Also, i'm almost into my 13th week of pregnany (: Going down another journey in life and letting my dread babies grow right along with me.

I'm quite happy to say I have dreads. It was a bit difficult coming out of the closet with them because I knew of all the attention I would draw, good and bad. My whole family hates them, my roommates, employers, and professors cringe at them. I thought it would be a bit difficult to pass all these harsh judgments. I have the tendency to take silly things very personally. Well I haven't really ran into anybodies nasty opinions that made me feel discouraged, or alienated. I took it all very lightheartedly. It's just hair. A victimless crime really. The only obstacle I have right now is looking for a full time job. I have been searching all over, and nobody in Michigan hires anymore. Not even an interview. I have been going to school overtime for 2 years straight. I am going to take next semester, and next year off to live in Maui with my sister. So for these next six months I need to work my ass off. Well this was just a bit of a babble really, but if anybody has any pointers on how to deal with negativity positively, and also on my job search please help a sister out! =)

My 13 year old daughter has the thickest dreads. She has a curlier, fine, thick texture of hair if that makes since?? She's part Cuban and blackShe's had dreads for a little over 2 years and she loves all 62 of them.My concern is with all the looooose hair that comes out of the lock by the root. She can literally take all the loose hair and make new dreads. LolMy other concern is with the thickness??I've had locticians tell me that there is away to split the thicker ones to make 2. Is this possible??? Please help. I would love suggestionsNiki

It is the natural inclination of the human being to be accommodating. To bend to the will of the environment, and in a way this is possibly one of the primary reasons the species has been so successful. Because we're so adaptable and eager to adapt.However, this is also probably one of the primary obstacles to our happiness.

Let me explain.We are not all just one environment, one surrounding, but a diverse cultural and geographical array of great diversity and our adaptability is not absolute. Instead, our adaptability appears to decrease with age, which is understandable to an extent. Once a habit has been reinforced for 20 years it becomes all that harder to break.This creates a pattern where we spend our early years being molded and shaped by one environment only to leave it for another in adulthood and beyond that we find ourselves discovering that our environment is not static, it changes.Yes, we are eager to bend to fulfill our place in our surroundings, but this gets harder with time, and even more difficult the more foreign our surroundings are to us.

And so, we find ourselves either trying to change the world around us against it's will, or we try to change ourselves against our own will. Neither are exercises that are likely tosucceedand so we reap nothing but anger, hostility, pain and resentment for our efforts.By changing the world around us I do not mean the fight for freedom, I mean the fight to oppress. There's a difference between demanding that the world allow you to make up your own mind and demanding that the world agree with you.

When we inevitably find that we are unable to control the beliefs of others we seek out those who already agree with us, seekingsolaceand support in a smaller environment, a society within society. We do this in part because we are adaptable, and so our beliefs, feelings and ideals will always be fragile, changable with the environment we inhabit.Sometimes we do this because we need somewhere where we are free of fear, but sometimes we do this because we need to find somewhere where we aren't demonstrably in the wrong.

The adaptability we have isn't patient and so exercising patience is often difficult. It can be seen as something that goes against our nature. But truly, I believe that patience is never the less essential in order for us to be able to find happiness in life,in spiteof our adaptability.Our adaptability depends on freedom and harmony. The freedom to live in harmony with ourselves without detriment to our harmony with society. It's only when we have that freedom and that harmony that we can experience true joy.

And so, when society won't change to accommodate us we become frustrated and angry, and when we sacrifice our own harmony for sake of society we become depressed.

So where does independence factor in?

We, as a species, aredependenton one another for survival. No man is an island and no man can be. Our minds and bodies deteriorate without the support of ourpack-mates without human contact, and we can not hide from this reality of our nature.But we have become too dependent on the thoughts and ideas of others. Too dependent on agreements. Too dependent on things that do not affect us, that aren't ours.

We carry the weight of the opinions of others upon our shoulders as if their opinions were our food and drink.At times, the opinions of others can be a matter of life or death, for example when their opinion calls for our deaths, but in reality, most of the time, the opinions of others are not something that affects us so deeply, not unless we choose to make them affect us deeply.

Life is like one big classroom, and carrying the opinions and ideas of others on our shoulders, allowing them to weigh us down, is as if we are carrying the schoolbooks and schoolwork for all the other peopleThese things aren't ours. These things aren't ours to carry. These things aren't our responsibility, and yet we insist on carrying them upon our shoulders, even if these aren't even truly the right things. We assume and give opinions to others and then proceed to choose to weigh ourselves down with our own assumptions.

Independence, true independence, is to see, to know that what we are carrying isn't ours to carry. This realization allows us the freedom from the weight, should we choose to put it down.It is in that moment when we claim our freedom to be in harmony with ourselves and in turn give openly the same freedom to others, because by realizing that our opinion isn't theirs to carry we stop trying to place it upon their shoulders. We free ourselves and we grant freedom.

And those that learn this do get asked how they found the strength to defy convention, how they found the courage to stand up and be themselves even if it meant being different, and the answer is simple.We found the reason to let go of what wasn't ours to carry anyway.

And by spreading this word, we spread freedom.Is there any greater gift?

Ive decided to freeform my locks, this is a journey that I will document on this dope site.....My hair has been growing one year and naturally goes into locks, so tonight i officially stop touching it and I will let nature take its course.

This is a personal journey, this is intended to be symbolic in many ways......

My hair is going crazy. It is SO absurd in the back. My dad commented on how rediculous it looks today. I simply told him that it was going to get "worse" beforeit gets better. What I didn't tell him was that it already *is* better. The "mess" of my hair is such an enjoyable wonder to me.

I'm still trying to figure out what the deal is with the thickness of my hair. I've split a few dreads that I think would be better as two.Since I don't have *super* think hair, I've decided that I'drather have numerous smallerdreads than a limited number of thinker ones. Now I justneed to figure out how thick/thin I want to go. I have another one or 2 that I think I want to split, but I'm not sure h much theyll thicken up or if it would just be fine to leave them as tthey are now?I don't know. It's been about 3 months now though since I've stopped brishing, so theyre really starting to lock up- I have to hurry up and mkake my decisions before they've locked up too much!

It's over.Deleted my Facebook today. I met a girl. I wasn't who she thought I was. Pictures and profiles are a misrepresentation of character. This has all been evident in the past, I'm ready to move forward.There is a disconnect between my friends and I. I just don't enjoy drinking, it's a ritual in our household. I must summon the independence to break free from conforming. Peace is what I see when I close my eyes. I don't particularly enjoy waking up in a toxic state.I have yet to detox but a relationship is impossible without one.Go.And so here I am. This is really it. Day 1. There is no one else who can do this. This is my journey. No one can help, nor do I need it. This is my fasting journey. I will be avoiding all solid foods that aren't pure. This will last 7 days. Thereafter I will transition to water and sea salt solely for another 7 days.This journal is to keep me motivated. There's more and I intend to be closer to it within the next 2 weeks.I feel my dreads will respond to this experience positively as well